Ventura

8.15.17 | Ventura, CA

Life is a journey...

...with many different chapters and moments. You go through certain experiences for a season of time that may not exactly make sense in the moment, but when you look back, it had a meaning, a reason. When I look back someday, "being a ride-share driver" will be one of those chapters in my life. I never know if anyone has read any of this blog, or any of these entries, so I repeat myself a lot (including right now). Something that's kept me afloat in Los Angeles is being a ride-share driver. I'm talking Uber, Lyft...

The upside is the flexibility of the schedule, and having met a few cool people along the way, some that I now call friends. One of the other upsides, something I took full advantage of in 2017, is the fact that each day may present unknown destinations. You can literally end up anywhere in LA County.

Such is the case and reason for this blog entry...

On a sunny day in August (2017), a passenger left a work conference in Pasadena, and her first question to me is if I would be okay to drive all the way to Ventura, CA. The double edged sword: you get a great fare in one direction, but no guarantee of any return fares and you might have to waste the gas. I've officially labeled myself as a "why not?" kind of person in life, so I agreed to the fare. The reasoning was simple: I always keep a camera in my car in case of a hike or photo-worthy moment, and also, I had never been to Ventura.

I shared this same information with my passenger, and she was kind and excited to share locations in Ventura worth seeing. I headed straight into the heart of the area, parking on N California St. near the city hall and just began to capture. My first sight was of course a statue, that of Father Junípero Serra, the Roman Catholic Spanish priest who began the first missions in the State of California in the late 1700's. The bronze likeness was created by Wilbur Rubottom was unveiled in 1989, and replaced a concrete version of the statue first placed at the site in 1936:

Afterwards, the water beckoned, and the beach and pier looking into Pierpont Bay provided ample views and moments to capture:

Capturing nature is always fascinating. Seals were in the water nearby and one in particular was having lunch. I had a chance to witness the food chain live and in action...

Image of the day

I've said it many times before, but for me, Photography is a spiritual exercise and experience. I truly feel led by God to capture images and in this moment, I felt affirmed in my faith yet again. I spent a lot of years photographing weddings and events, and every once in a while I'd have a sixth sense kick in. I literally mean I would be facing in one direction and feel a pull to turn in the opposite direction only to see a beautiful moment unfolding before my eyes. Call me exaggerated or too "out there," but I believe in the Holy Spirit...and it kinda tells me what to do.

This day on the Ventura Pier was one of those sixth sense moments. I was walking out facing the water and suddenly got that pull to turn around. When I did, I was greeted by this image:

It was a pretty straightforward, one-point perspective looking back up the pier towards the shore. After capturing it, I could tell it was special, but wasn't sure how yet. As usual, I posted a few of these images to Instagram, and after posting this one, the city of Ventura's Instagram account, @visitventura, asked if they could feature it on their feed. Absolutely. The photo would eventually receive 1400+ likes. Thankful.

Almost a hike...

In the spirit of exploring and visiting Ventura, I opened the All Trails app to see if there'd by any great hiking nearby. I drove a good 13 miles north to try out the Lake Casitas trail. I pakred and started to explore, but it seemed to be a bit more of an investment than I was willing to make for the day. I did end up getting a nice misty mountain shot before leaving though: